Jewelry Appraisal Center

Will The Jeweler Steal My Diamonds?

This question comes up more often than you think and is a great concern for many people. When I received a question from Christina, I thought it would be a timely reminder of how this Myth began.

Here is Christina's 'Ask The Appraisers' plea...

I am very unfamiliar with jewelry and my mom gave me some advice. I'm just not sure how to go about it.

My grandmother passed down her wedding ring to me and I am soon going to use it because I am getting married. It needs to be sized first but there are some concerns that I have about getting that done.

I am concerned that when I get it sized that the diamonds in it will be replaced with junk.

Should I get it appraised first?

Answer:

G'day Christina and many thanks for your query.

I don't know where you live or even what country you are in, but after 35 years in the Jewelry Industry I think the 'Swapping Diamonds' is nothing more than a big myth. So let me tell you why.

Anyone who has ever lost a gemstone and needed to have one replaced will tell you just how difficult it is, especially if the claws or the setting is so worn (that's why they lost their stone in the first place) that they needed to have them repaired.

This entails UN-SETTING each gemstone, then filing off the old claws before using Jewelers Solder to attach new claws (at great heat) before getting the Setter to re-set the gemstones. Then polish and clean the item to look like new again.

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This all costs money - sometimes more than the gems are worth - so why should the Jeweler go to all that trouble, when they can buy their diamonds direct from the Diamond Merchant on a 90 day invoice and know exactly what they are getting PLUS not have to take the risk of being caught and losing their reputation too. It doesn't make sense.

And in all this time - beside the Myth - I have NEVER heard of anyone in the Trade actually doing that - and no-one can actually tell me the name of anyone it has ever happened to. So don't let that be a bother.

You also have one other advantage because you can compare similar jewelry on places like eBay...

When you take your grandmother's ring into the jewelers for repair, they have what is called the 'Take-in' procedure where they SHOULD write your details and the jewelry details down on the repair slip.

Ask them to test the gemstones (in front of you) using a diamond probe. This electronic device signals real diamonds and fails on glass or white corundum or Cubic Zirconias etc. So you can see the gems are real BEFORE they take it off you.

When you get the ring back - ask them to test it in front of you again. Any good jeweler will do this free of charge because they want your business and they know their reputation is on the line.

Now you have a way to test the ring before and after.

Ask around your family and friends for the name of a good jeweler in your area, and after the ring is re-sized (make sure they check the diamond settings also) THEN get it appraised.

You might even know the details such as the diamond size and quality from an old appraisal certificate, which means you should be able to do a Jewelry Appraisals Online yourself - using our software.

Hope this helps - Oh... And before I forget - Congratulations

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